Critical stress diagrams for brittle materials with defects of the cusped void/crack type

An analysis of the strength of a brittle solid with defects of the hypocycloid void/crack type in plane stress state is presented. Based on the tenets of the theory of equilibrium cracks, critical stress diagrams for a brittle material with defects of this type are constructed and compared with published experimental data. It is shown that, using a model of a brittle material with defects of the cusped void/crack type, it is possible to describe laws governing the fracture of certain materials.